Campus Growth: Building for God's Glory

Winter/Spring 2014 : Liberty University News Service

“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it … " Psalm 127:1

God has allowed Liberty University to experience tremendous growth since the school’s beginnings in 1971. Now, in the midst of a $500 million campus rebuilding phase, we are reminded with each new brick laid of God’s incredible faithfulness to Liberty University.

Center for Medical and Health Sciences

Home to the new College of Osteopathic Medicine, the four-story, 140,000-square-foot Center for Medical and Health Sciences is nearly complete and staff will begin occupying the building this spring. The center will contain a comprehensive medical clinic and facilities that allow for hands-on training through simulation and standardized patient education. A ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the facility is scheduled for May 30, and Liberty’s inaugural class of medical students will begin classes in Fall 2014.

Residential Commons

Liberty’s first high-rise residence hall is taking shape, now towering over the Vines Center (the school’s basketball arena). It is the first of six 9-story residence halls planned for the campus. The new residence hall will provide more than 1,200 beds for students, with two beds and a bathroom per room, as well as a spacious central commons area on each floor. It is expected to be completed in time for the 2014-15 school year and will help accommodate growth as Liberty plans for 16,000 residential students by 2020.

LaHaye Student Union Expansion

A testament to Liberty University’s commitment to train the body as well as the mind, the 163,550-square-foot LaHaye Student Union is undergoing renovations to 19,000 square feet of its existing recreational space, as well as gaining a 67,000-square-foot addition. Exterior work on the addition has taken shape and interior work has now begun. Work will continue on the project through the spring and summer as it is expected to be completed by Fall 2014. The changes will provide expanded room for cardio, weight rooms, lockers, and multipurpose areas.

Science Hall

Located across the lawn from the Jerry Falwell Library and designed to house several new graduate and undergraduate science programs, the new Science Hall will more than triple the size of the university’s current science facilities. The building is beginning to take shape as steelwork is underway. Scheduled for completion in time for the Fall 2015 semester, the Science Hall will be a four-story, 124,000-square-foot building containing classrooms, research facilities, and laboratories designed for hands-on learning and experimentation.

Softball Stadium

Liberty University Athletics continues to experience growth, and the department’s facilities are following suit. Ground has been leveled and construction is now underway for a new NCAA-regulation softball field near the site of the old baseball stadium. The softball complex will include artificial surface for outfield and foul territories, a clay infield, lights, a video scoreboard, and 1,000 chairback seats.